RAGE IN THE BLOOD
by deetatarant
Summary: Follows "A STOMACH FULL OF RATS" Ianto's journey through the year that didn't happen.... but it did. This will be very bleak, not for fluff fans...
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Follow on from 'A Stomach Full of Rats'.... not entirely sure where this will go, but it won't be nice so if you like fluff read another story because there won't be any in this one....**

**RAGE IN THE BLOOD PART ONE**

Ianto trudged along with the rest of them, his head down, his feet moving mechanically one in front of the other. He didn't look up to see where he was going because he knew the route well enough, a long well trodden dirt track that lead to what was left of the M4 motorway. He was part of a gang that went out at first light every day to help break down and strip all the abandoned vehicles that had been left in the aftermath of the Toclofane invasion. They wanted metal, well Harold Saxon wanted it anyway. The Toclofane balls whizzed over the heads of the snaking column of ragged men and women and the UNIT soldiers marched alongside them with rifles at the ready, looking for any excuse to use them. Ianto had lost count of how many people he seen mowed down by casual gun fire.

His body ached from lack of a decent bed and poor diet. He could not remember the last time he had washed and he hated the lank hair on his head and straggly beard. It could be worse, he supposed. Tosh, Owen and Gwen were dead. They had died when their helicopter on route to Nepal had been shot down. Ianto had hidden himself in the tunnels underneath Cardiff until lack of food and water had brought him to the surface, a full month after everything went to shit. He found the bodies of his sister's family a week later. The Toclofane had caught him when he was trying to bury them. He had lied and told them he was Johnny Davies and this they seemed to accept, or else didn't much care. Ianto Jones was number two on Harold Saxon's wanted list he later discovered, someone called Martha Jones was number one. Ianto wanted to meet her and kiss her. His capture had led to him to being brought to Camp 16. One of Saxon's work camps, little better than a concentration camp without the gas chambers, though Ianto couldn't be certain of that. There were no old people, no babies or toddlers and no disabled. He could only assume what had happened to them hadn't been a holiday somewhere nice and sunny because there were four industrial sized microwave ovens in the secured area by the foundry.

Ianto had lost count of the days spent in the routine of sleeping in a wooden rack with no mattress and no blankets, the murmurs and mumbles of another two hundred men around him in the men's shack. He'd forgotten the taste of real food and just accepted the sickly sweet soup of vitamin enhanced mush that he was fed to keep him working and on his feet. He ignored the blisters on his feet. He bit down his nightmares of cyber conversion units until they faded into insignificance against the horror of his waking life.

So Ianto trudged and kept his head down and did as he was told. He didn't talk with his fellow prisoners unless he had to and he worked hard to avoid punishment from the soldiers around him. Mostly he just listened and very occasionally his lifted his face to the sun and let it warm his gaunt face if it showed itself. That morning he had seen drooping white headed snowdrops at the side of the ruined road and the sight of them almost broke him, such beauty in such a terrible world, broken world. The sunlight caught them in a moment of revelation and Ianto had had force himself not to stop to savour the sight. As he passed on he closed his eyes briefly and allowed moisture to gather under his weary eyelids, but the tears were kept at bay.

How was it that the world had fallen so easily into darkness? Ianto often asked himself this very question. He remembered voting for Saxon, even though he couldn't clearly remember why. He recalled Jack's intense dislike of the man and being asked to look into him and Ianto couldn't remember ever following up on Jack's order. Somehow things had gotten away from them, their little world under the Plas had crumbled and Jack was gone. Ianto tried not to let that hurt, but he failed. It was partially his fault that Jack had left. He couldn't find it in him to be angry anymore. Jack's leaving or staying would have made no difference to the current situation. The Doctor.... That bloody Doctor and Jack were both prisoners in the sky on board 'The Valiant' and they were the only two people who possibly could have saved the planet. Torchwood was gone, UNIT had defected. Ianto wasn't really certain about UNIT, the Master appeared to be a Master of control... all it seemed to take was a weak mind.... that seemed to account for most of humanity.

It was a lovely day and he realised that he could hear birdsong, blackbirds to be precise and with his eyes cast down to the cracked tarmac he managed the faintest of smiles.

They were split up into groups of two and once again Ianto was assigned to work with a fellow Welshman called Rhys. Gwen's fiancé. Ianto was entirely grateful that the man had no idea who he was. Rhys thought he was Johnny and Ianto made no mention of the woman that Rhys lamented. He never discussed the fact that her dying words over a crackling phone line were 'Tell Rhys I love him.' Ianto could hardly believe that, after all she had been shagging Owen and doing her level best to get into Jack's pants before he disappeared too. Ianto kept his mouth shut and let Rhys ramble on as they began work pulling apart an old Nissan mycra. They had few tools and only select members of the work gangs had access to them at all. Rhys was one of them. Ianto didn't want the privelage because other prisoners resented it. Rhys didn't seem to notice or care. Ianto realised that the man was just going through the motions because his body hadn't told him he was dead yet. They were all dead really. The human race would end here in this current generation and if Jack's long winded tales were anything to be relied on, then the course of history would be changed forever. Jack always had been full of bullshit, apart from the not dying thing of course. Ianto halted in his task and straightened up, taking a moment to look down the length of motorway. It had already been cleared of traffic and looked surreal like an empty vein. He absently rubbed at his stomach, his abdomen hard and unyielding with weight loss and added muscle tone combined. He sighed then returned to work helping Rhys strip off the useless furnishings from the inside of the car. A truck would be along soon to take away the metal skin and engine parts.

It was a chilly spring day and Ianto was just grateful for the faint sunlight and sounds of voices as the men worked and the guards barked out orders and abuse. Somewhere in the quiet recesses of his brain Ianto worked out it had been approximately three months, maybe four since Jack's departure. A lot had happened in that 12 weeks. The Earth had fallen. Ianto found himself wondering what had happened to his dinosaur and he felt grief prickle at his gut. They were all dead, all the people that meant anything to him gone, snuffed out before they should have been because something went fundamentally wrong after Jack ran away. Ianto sighed. It was a rare enough gesture for Rhys to look at him in concern.

"You alright mate?" He whispered.

Ianto gave him a clipped nod in return but did not speak.

The truck arrived with a rumbling that sounded distinctly alien to his ears nowadays and the men around them began dumping metal car parts into the back, Ianto among them.

He saw the brilliant light before he heard the bang and then he was flung through the air, slamming into the grass bank at the side of the road with a painful crunch of his right arm. Then blackness swallowed him whole.


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO.**

His ears were humming and as Ianto lurched into consciousness he could smell the smoke of burnt flesh and rubber. Pained and urgent voices reached his ears and the whirring of the Toclofane over head, squealing in their petulant cries as they barked out their excitement over the suffering below them. Ianto blacked out again.

The next time he woke up it was dark and he was flat on his back. He could hear the soft murmurs of voices around him speaking in hushed tones and he felt strangely warm, suddenly aware that he was actually warm for the first time in weeks. He drifted for a while aware of a faint musky scent that emanated from.... His eyes widened and he lurched upright. Shit, a dream. The blanket was real enough but the smell now eluded him as he blinked at unfamiliar surroundings. His back screamed with searing pain and Ianto winced his displeasure.

"Oh.....Shit."

A hand reached out of the darkness. "Ssshh, you're alright, you're safe."

Ianto looked up into dark eyes, the face of an Indian woman who looked as ragged as he felt. They held one another's gazes for a long time; she would have been beautiful in another life.

"Where am I?" He whispered. Calloused fingers gripped his bearded chin, tilting his face as if to inspect.

"I can't tell you that, how do you feel?" She knelt down bringing herself to a lower position than him.

Ianto tolerated the touch for a moment before brushing her away, which brought renewed pain up his arm.

"Ow." He suddenly registered the heavy bandaging.

"It's broken, quite badly I'm afraid, but fortunately the skin wasn't so hopefully you won't get an infection. I set it as best as I could but without X-rays it's difficult to be certain. Here let me see." Her tone was soft, hinting at a West Midlands accent.

Ianto reluctantly proffered the throbbing limb and it was gently manhandled for examination.

"The binding will have to stay on for a few weeks. I had to improvise, the splint will be uncomfortable but hopefully you'll get most of the use back once it's healed. The morphine will wear off soon, sorry I won't be able to give you any more."

Ianto cradled his hand against his chest. "My back aches."

The woman hitched a smile and Ianto wondered at the whiteness of her teeth.

"You have tooth paste?"

The smile became warm, sincere. "Yes, we have tooth paste, soap by the bucket load, but not much water. You can even have a shave."

She straightened up and backed off as a set of heavy footfalls diverted her attention. Ianto saw her smile off to the left and he turned as a burly man with short, bright red frizzy hair and waist length platted beard stepped into view.

"Here you go Archie, he's awake. I'll just bring him some food and some water."

She stepped away and Ianto realised that he didn't even say thank you. The red headed man looked down at him with affection and Ianto suddenly understood what had happened to him.

"Archie?"

The leader of Torchwood Two sat down beside him making the wooden cot creak dangerously.

"Ay lad." He said softly. An arm was reached over Ianto's shoulder and Ianto crumpled against him and sobbed.

Yasim watched as her friend, the ginger Scotsman held the boy in his arms. Archie had been looking for this man for some time and Yasim had no idea why. She gave up questioning anything when the world went to hell. It had been a long four months of hiding, stealing and trying to stay alive. Four weeks ago she had been found, half starved and terrified in the ruins of Birmingham. Archie and his small collection of misfits had nursed back to her feet and discovered that she herself was a doctor..... well had been, at the Children's hospital. Yasim hadn't seen a child since this madness began. Her friends were dead and all of her family had been rounded up and executed in their home. The world had gone to hell and somehow Archie Cavanagh had held together enough to keep this group of people alive and willing to fight. The boy had been a specific target though. Archie was overjoyed when they had tracked him down. Yasim wondered what was so special about him. Archie would not elaborate. She found herself wondering if the boy were his son or some relative at least. Finally she edged forwards, a chunk of rough made bread and an open tin of peaches in her hands.

"Archie, these are for....."

Archie was beaming at her as he held the frail young man against him. "Yasim, this is Ianto......" Ianto was nudged and the boy wiped at his face and blinked up at with reddened eyes, brilliant blue orbs glimmering the darkness.

"Ianto this is Dr Yasim Anwar."

The boy's smile was breath taking in its honesty. His good hand was held out a little shakily and Yasim grasped it gently.

"Hello Ianto. I brought lunch. Not much, but it's fresh."

Ianto took the tin and the bread was placed on his lap. She watched his hand shake and then Archie grasped it to steady it and Yasim stood back and watched as Archie helped him to eat the food like a father would his infant son.

Ianto slept again after that. His dreams crowded with glowing spheres and fire balls in the sky. There was that smell again, like cinnamon and then he heard the low wailing of a long drawn out scream for mercy, a cry for death and pleading for the pain to stop.

Jack!

Ianto lurched up and vomited into the blanket between his knees a moment later he was crying at the appalling waste of precious food. He forgot for a moment and hunkered down waiting for a guard to come and beat him, but no one came and the darkness sucked him down again.

When awoke the next time, the stench of vomit wrenched him to his senses and he sat up and instantly regretted the weight placed on his left hand. He yelped with pain and suddenly Yasim was there at his side.

"You alright?"

Ianto sighed kicking away the smelly blanket and suddenly realising he was only wearing his somewhat disgusting boxer shorts, the ones he had been wearing when he was caught months ago. He blushed with shame and dipped his head. Yasim didn't seem to care.

"I've filled a tub with water for you, get up and get washed while it's hot and make the most of it. It is the only bath you'll get. We all have one when we first arrive. I'm going to have to cut off your hair and get you to shave top and bottom. It's lice you see, we need to make sure you're deloused before I can let you out of the quarantine area."

Ianto gaped at her and then noticed the pile of clean clothes bundled in her arms.

"Are those for me?" He indicated.

"Yes. We have loads of clothes.... looting while very distasteful is somewhat nessecary. They should fit, you're about the same size as my bro....." Yasim stopped mid flow.

Ianto understood.

The bath was actually a bath tub with no taps filled with heated river water. Ianto didn't much care, he over used the soap and scrubbed himself raw. Yasim had given him an old Tesco carrier bag in which to dump his minging underwear and hacked off hair. Two hours later he was clean shaven from head to toe, sporting a roughly cropped short back and sides and dressed in clothes that still had their 'Next' labels attached. Yasim showed him to a camp bed with sleeping bag and what looked like a kit bag.

"This is yours."

Ianto noticed the tarpaulins that surrounded many other such bunks and then he had to wonder, really wonder where the hell he was. It was dark here in this place but not pitch black. He looked up to see a faintly glowing ceiling that was lower than a normal one. The floor was cold concrete under the new boots on his feet. He turned his gaze back to the bed. Yasim appeared to recognise the fact that he was finally coming more to his senses.

"Archie will answer all of your questions later. For now as your new doctor, I want you to rest. There's a canteen of water for you in your kit bag. It's rationed, the drinking water. You can fill it up once every twenty four hours. For now Ianto, just rest." She pressed two tablets into his good hand. "They're paracetomol, to help with the pain."

Ianto sat himself down on the bed and took them dry. His mind was tumbling with disarray and the tiredness sank into him again as he lay back on the camp bed, which was heaven. Yasim smiled and helped him get settled, pulling off unlaced boots and sliding them under the cot with the kit bag.

"Sleep Ianto."

He didn't need much persuading.


	3. Chapter 3

**PART THREE**

Ianto slept deeply and well. He was dragged into wakefulness buy the sounds of gentle footfalls and hushed voices. He lay there in the warmth of the sleeping bag, feeling relaxed and comfortable. They were novel sensations that he couldn't even recall clearly in memory. It was strange, the world having gone to hell and Ianto had never felt so appreciative of just being warm and cosy. His eyelids drifted down again and he sighed, not even disturbed by the throbbing pain of his broken wrist. Jack had taught him how to breathe through his pain and Ianto had learnt the lesson well, for physical pain at least. He thought of Jack and wondered what had happened to him. He'd heard the rumours of course and seen some of The Master's broadcasts. It was weird because part of him deeply missed the man and part of him had shut down all sense of feeling. He realised how much he had come to view his current predicament with dispassion..... What was it Rhys had said? 'One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.' Right now it was the only way to function and remain sane. No hope, no future just forward motion from one action to the next. It hardly mattered, what was left of the human race on Earth would be gone soon enough anyway. He calmly realised that there was no longer any point and he had no fight in him, a crappy ending to a crappy life, jeez he was starting to sound like Owen.

Ianto flipped onto his back and let out a sigh of protest. His back was still aching and his muscles were stiff and unco-operative. He blinked at the faintly glowing ceiling and pondered what it was made of and where the light was coming from. Hadn't he asked that already? Maybe not.

"Come on Laddie, time to wake up. Yasim wants you on your feet and mobilised today." The Glaswegian accent was a jolt to his senses.... so different from Jack's psuedo brash American tones.

Ianto sat himself up awkwardly the sleeping bag still covering most of his clothed body. God, it was good to be clean. He hadn't realised that Archie had perched himself on the end of his cot.

Ianto just looked at him for a long time and vaguely recalled their last meeting.

"Thank you Archie."

The Scotsman offered up a toothy grin. "Us Torchwoodies have got a planet to save, don't thank me yet lad. How do you feel?"

Ianto considered this. A planet, this planet, his home and yes it really DID need to be saved and soon.

"I feel..... I feel better than I did before, rested. Thank you."

"You slept for over 30 hours. Yasim was all for waking you up and she even checked your pulse a couple of times. But I explained you were Welsh and needed your beauty sleep."

Ianto blinked at him some more before gazing around him. They were surrounded by makeshift walls, the only privacy available.

"Where am I Archie?" Ianto asked reaching under his bunk, hadn't Yasim said something about a canteen of water? Archie appeared to understand what he was doing so he grabbed the pack that was out of Ianto's reach and handed it to him.

"I cannay give you the location, but you are very deep underground in a Torchwood facility. Only two of us know the precise location and I'd like to keep it that way for the sake of security. We know Saxon can read minds, can control them. You are safe and as soon as you are on your feet you will meet the others."

Ianto nodded as he searched out the water bottle. He unscrewed the cap and carefully took sips for a moment. The taste was bitter, slightly metallic and not entirely pleasant. He screwed his face up.

"It's the iodine, sorry it is the only way to keep the water safe to drink. So, you ready for some answers?"

Ianto nodded.

He was led past sheets and drapes that hung haphazardly to resemble some form of room division. They went through a heavy metal door and down a short flight of steps in almost total darkness and they entered another chamber via heavier door which took some effort on Archie's part to open and then close behind them. This lower room was poorly lit as well and Ianto realised that the only light sources were the monitors of three computers. A person was sat in front of them and for the briefest of moments Ianto thought it was Tosh. His breath hitched in his throat as the small woman turned in her chair to face him. It took Ianto a moment to realise who it was.

"Mal?" He stepped forwards at the same time that Mal Hope got to her feet and hugged the much taller man, her counterpart from the Cardiff office.

"Hello Ianto. Archie said he'd found you, but I couldn't believe it and here you are. Thank God, it is so good to see you."

Like him she had survived the horrors of Canary Wharf. Ianto held her tightly against him in a one armed hug and then he noticed that there were a half dozen faces looking at them from the dim corners of the room.

"Ianto, you've met Yasim."

Ianto nodded. "Yes, and thank you doctor for your care of me."

The Indian smiled back at him. "You're most welcome."

Ianto still had Mal latched to his side and he was grateful for her being there.

"Ianto, this Captain Simon Tate of the RAF, this Lucy Jones and Leo Jones, they are civilians and that little one there is called Emma." Ianto took in the sight the Air Force captain, still in some semblance of a uniform and then the young black family. All of them smiled at him and Captain Tate extended his hand. Ianto shook it.

"This is Joseph Tarrant of MI5."

Ianto nodded at Joseph and they too shook hands.

"And finally this is Patrick Black, he's erm... well lets just say he used work for the IRA."

Ianto didn't much care and shook hands with him anyway. After all the introductions Mal settled herself back at her computers and everyone else sat down in chairs in a tight circle, two years old Emma Jones playing on the carpeted floor in the middle of them.

"Everyone, this is Ianto Jones of Torchwood Cardiff, whom I have been looking for. I'd like to thank you Pat and Simon for helping me to extract him."

Ianto nodded and smiled. "So would I."

Both Patrick and Simon simply nodded.

"So what's next Arch?" It was Leo that asked, a hand going down to offer up a toy to his daughter, who took it happily and quietly.

"Well, now we are all here Mal and I are going to go over everything that we have learnt so far with you all and then we are going to discuss what to about it."

Ianto watched in silence as Mal demonstrated just how Saxon had taken over the world so effortlessly with the Archangel Network. There was no data on the Toclofane whatsoever and she could offer up no explanation as to why Saxon was rounding up every piece of scrap metal he could get his hands on. What she was able to say was that the Doctor and Captain Jack Harkness were being held prisoner on the Valiant, alongside the rest of Martha Jones' family..... Ianto realised what Archie had done as Mal talked he looked around at his companions all on the Master's wanted list, each and every one of them with a very good reason to stay hidden. Leo, was Martha's brother and Ianto had to wonder who the Hell Martha was at all. Joseph, Patrick and Simon had all separately warned their own people of the threat posed by the Master and Yasim had simply been picked up along the way.

"Ianto?"

He jerked upright on hearing his name. Archie was looking at him intently.

"Sorry, Archie, just lost track..... I have to ask. Where are we?"

Archie nodded. "This facility is known within Torchwood as black box 3. It was built during the cold war and is approximately 400m below sea level. This chamber is shielded from most things known to man and some not, which is why it is the only room in the complex with any power. The lighting and somewhat scant heating upstairs is powered by a small alien reactor, but everything has to stay on minimum power, just in case. We have a small cache of weapons and explosives, a decent food supply and thanks to some recent looting some beds and well....So far as Mal can tell we are safe down here so long as any surface level activity is kept to the smallest amount. This complex is not on any of the records, so in theory Saxon will have no knowledge of it. So we should be safe."

Ianto took all of this in and put 2 and 2 together, he knew exactly where they were, but didn't voice it.

"I've collected us together to help protect those outside who are already fighting for our cause, but also because now we have to go on the offensive." Archie turned and stared long and hard at Ianto and Ianto suddenly felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"We have to take down the Valiant. There is no way we can kill off the Toclofane, but without Saxon to lead them or control us with his bloody network..... The only one in this room that I know Saxon will want on board the Valiant is you, Ianto. I have good inside intel that he has been interrogating Jack........."

Ianto shot to his feet, suddenly feeling extremely sick with realisation. "Oh, God, what..... you want me to?"

Archie grabbed his good hand and pulled him back down to his chair and Ianto realised they all staring disbelievingly at Archie as well as himself.

"No, Ianto... no. I'm sorry, what I am going to ask of you is much worse. God forbid that you'd be tortured to hurt Jack. I've known the man a very long time and he always spoke well of you and I know you. But Saxon would not be able to resist getting you on board. Jack seems to be a pet project of his."

Ianto winced.

"Ianto I need you on board the Valiant because in the lab here there is a small amount of very powerful explosive material that is virtually undetectable.....I'll cut to the chase. I want to make you into a bomb."


	4. Chapter 4

**PART FOUR**

Ianto's mouth dropped open in disbelief but not a sound came out. He heard Mal gasp with shock from behind Archie and Yasim sucked in a surprised breath.

"You can't do that!" It was Yasim with broad Birminham accent that lurched Ianto into speaking himself.

"I.... You want me to die, you want me to...... Oh God." He mumbled and looked from Archie's taught face to those of the others. The Jones child oblivious, had toddled over and proffered a soft toy at Ianto. Startled Ianto looked down at her, dark, wide, innocent eyes blinking up at him. Ianto swallowed. Archie started speaking again, over Mal who was now joining in with the protest. Then suddenly everyone was talking and voices were raised. Ianto said nothing just let the yelling wash over him as he sat there totally numb. Finally someone yelled.

"Shut the Fuck up!"

The voices died down and all eyes were drawn to the young Welshman who hadn't said a word.

Ianto felt the warmth of Archie's large hand on his knee and Ianto looked into his eyes.

"We need you laddie. The human race ends here unless we act. The Doctor and Captain Jack cannot help us this time. UNIT cannot.... everyone is under Saxon's control. If we can take him down then maybe, just maybe we can stop those metal devils before it's too late. I have no idea if there is anyone else out there with the required fire power or technology. We know Martha Jones has some magic bullet, but the last report we got was that she died in Japan......"

Ianto sighed. "Archie I...... Is it why you sought me out?"

The Scotsman nodded. "I know about your relationship with Jack because Saxon knows. He had some serious intel on Torchwood and UNIT and I have no idea how he got that......"

"How is it we're not affected by the archangel network?"

"I my case training Ianto. You understand what I am asking of you."

Ianto and Archie both stared into one another's eyes and the rest of the people in the room remained silent, holding their breaths.

"I don't want to die Archie and I don't want to kill Jack and the Doctor. If the Valiant goes down then......"

"Jack will survive...... trust me, I know. We have to take down that ship. It's a symbol of his control over us, if enough people see it die there may be enough resistance for a full scale revolt."

"Or a full scale retaliation." Mal interjected angrily from over Archie's shoulder. "I can't believe this, we're not terrorists and Ianto shouldn't have to make that choice."

"I agree." Yasim stepped closer and knelt down in front of Ianto. "You do not have to do this. I did not patch you up, just have you blown to pieces again."

Ianto fixed his gaze on the medic and then slowly looked into the other faces around him.

"You knew about this?"

Patrick, Joseph and Simon nodded.

"We decided the plan, and then extracted you." Patrick said without apology.

Ianto appreciated his honesty. He looked down at the ruined fingernails of his left hand, poking out from the end of bandaging.

"Ordinary explosives won't cut it Archie, the Valiant has state of the art scanning technology of non terrestrial origins." Ianto informed him.

Archie nodded.

"Ay lad, we know. We can get round that."

Ianto wasn't surprised and he sat there, afraid and lonely with tears leaking from his eyes. "Do I have a choice?"

No one answered him but the look on Archie's face was answer enough.

Finally he nodded.

Mal hissed out her disapproval and Yasim's hands went to her mouth in horror. The Jones couple just looked at him and then Leo spoke to him, reaching out a hand and Ianto leant back from it, not wanting the contact.

"My sister and parents are on the Valiant Ianto. If there is any way to save them......"

Ianto's gut turned to lead and he closed his eyes. "I don't want to die and yet you are asking me.... no telling me....." He faced Archie. "You have a plan then?"

The Scotsman nodded. "Ay, we have a plan. Come on, let me show you the lab."

Archie instructed the others to wait where they were and as he led Ianto out of the room the arguing started in their wake. Ianto chose to ignore it as he followed Archie to an adjoining room. In complete contrast to the other one it was brightly lit and they had to pass through an airlock to enter it. A clean room and containment area, typically Torchwood. Archie strode purposefully over to a locked cabinet and opened it with a key attached to a chain that was hung about his neck. He removed a glass vial and held it up.

"This is 'Thorun 32'. Thorun was the name of the scientist here who discovered what this stuff could do. It was salvaged from a downed space craft during the Vietnam war and brought back here."

Ianto looked at the luminous viscous fluid that appeared to move of its volition in the vial.

"It looks alive, what is it?"

"I have no idea what it actually is, but I do know how to use it and what it does. The team here left extensive notes and I was part of the original research team assigned to this stuff back in the eighties. This liquid is injected into the human bloodstream. It's totally harmless until such time as one activates it. Once activated it goes through an extreme molecular change the result being an explosion. There's about enough here equivalent to the explosion at Chernobyl. The stuff literally vapourises anything with in the blast radius, depending on how much you use. Naturally we're not planning on using it all on you, just enough to blow up the Valiant."

Ianto watched as Archie replaced the 'weapon' back into the cabinet, quietly processing what the Torchwood 2 leader had told him.

"Its been tested on live subjects then?"

Archie nodded.

"Jesus Christ. That's sick!" Ianto practically gagged on the notion. "How many people? How many?" He demanded.

"According to the database, 23. All of them were prisoners serving time for multiple murder and child sex offences."

"Oh and that makes it alright, does it?"

Archie sighed. "No Ianto it doesn't. I am not responsible for that and right now we cannot afford to be concerned with our morality."

Ianto hands raked over his scalp. "Fuck, fuck. I can't believe this. I can't believe this. What have we come to?" He paced about and Archie's words stopped him in his tracks.

"The end of the world Ianto, the end of the world."

Ianto gaped at him. "And look at how we got here. Oh God." He slumped back against a desk and hugged himself, instinctively bringing his injured arm against his chest and holding it there. He breathed heavily, overwhelmed.

"Ianto I....."

"Don't Archie. I don't want to hear it. Just tell me what you want me to do, because if this is all that's left of humanity I do not want to be a part of it."

**AN: I will be away now for three weeks filming Casimir Effect so won't be updating for a while unless I can get some internet access whilst in the wilds of Cardiff..... Thank you very much for your reviews so far...**

**Deeta.**


	5. Chapter 5

**PART FIVE**

**AN: I'm back, at last....had fabulous fun filming Casimir and now am back home nursing a sore back and smiling like a big cheesy smiley thing....... Onwards an' all that!**

"I'm sorry Ianto." Archie whispered. "I don't know what else to do. If I knew of another way I would take it. You know I would, but as the only operating leader for either Torchwood or UNIT........"

Ianto glared at him. "Fuck off, just do what you have to do. It's not like I have anything to lose is it?" He sank back further and closed his eyes. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to take you to London. There's a heliport that Saxon uses at Heathrow airport. You and Patrick are going to go in with standard C4 explosives and take it out. Information about the attack will be 'leaked' to Saxon's people and hopefully sense will prevail and instead of killing you outright, you'll be captured."

"So they'll know it'll be me."

Archie nodded. "He wants the Torchwood access codes to the basement that you so efficiently put into lockdown at Cardiff. They haven't been able to breach it and Saxon wants what is in there without having to blow it up to do it. There's alien tech that he's after, specifically two devices, one that enables you to see the future and another.... some kind of glove or something, not sure about that one."

Ianto sighed. The Risen Mitten was already destroyed and the other device could only be the thing they had dubbed 'Ghost Machine'.

"Suppose it all goes wrong and Saxon gets those codes out of me."

"He won't because you won't let him have them."

Ianto knew deep down this was all going to go stupidly wrong, part of him wondered how much he cared about that, but part of him, a tiny hopeful part was wondering if he would get to see Jack again before he died. Suddenly he wanted nothing more. Just a moment to see the man he realised he still loved in some sick, fucked up way. He'd die for Jack, willingly, but save to humanity? Ianto had his doubts about that.

"So tell me about this stuff, what do I do with it?"

Archie sat himself in a chair and scratched at his red beard.

"You'll be set up with an IV, the Thorun will be pumped into your blood with a saline solution. I won't lie to you Ianto the procedure is excruciatingly painful and it will take about twelve hours as it has to be introduced into your body very slowly. After a couple days you'll feel near normal, the only significant symptoms are mild disorientation and a headache."

"So what's the trigger?"

"A tablet. It's a catalyst basically. You swallow the tablet and an hour later... give or take......" Archie trailed off not wanting to reveal just how painful that death was going to be.

It didn't take a genius to work it out really.

Ianto nodded. "When are we doing this?"

"We start later today."

"Fine."

Yasim refused to give Ianto the Thorun I.V so Ianto ended up inserting the canula into the back of his hand by himself, with a little help from Patrick. An hour later and Ianto was screaming with the pain as the fluid made it's way around his body and began to work on his cells. He lay on the camp bed his back arched so far out of line that Ianto dimly thought that his spine would snap. His muscles and tendons contracted and in amidst the agony he was vaguely aware of Archie gripping his hand, anchoring him through the torture. He wasn't certain at which point he blacked out but when he awoke he shivered as cold sweat and damp clothes permeated his senses leaving him chilled to the bone. Yasim was looking down at him with an expression akin to remorse on her dark face and Ianto just blinked up at her, his body too tired and achey to manage anything else. Sleep stole him again and Ianto was grateful for it until the nightmares that he could not wake from trawled through his thoughts with relentless clarity. Then all he could see was a pair of dirty bare feet teetering on tip toes on a metal deck. He could smell decay and sweat and hear the ragged breaths of someone struggling against rattling lungs, oxygen intake so laboured it hurt. He could feel the pain burning through his own chest. There was more, a deep hopelessness, shame and a sense of having given up. Ianto wondered at that. He wondered at the strangeness of his dream even as he slept. He'd recognise those feet anywhere, dirty as they were, even with the shackles.

"Jack." The word slipped from his lips like a prayer. "Oh, Jack."

Something shifted. It was like a ripple in his awareness, a fluttering in his heart rhythm and Ianto felt himself pause for a moment.

"Jack?"

All Ianto could see was the feet as they moved once again as if......

"Ianto...Ianto... Time to wake up."

His eyes snapped open and he lurched with shock away from the hands that touched him. He felt the sting in his hand as the IV line was wrenched out by his movement and he hissed with anger.

"Shit. Archie you scared the life out of me."

Ianto sagged against the concrete wall at the end of the bunk and rubbed at the back of his hand absently. His whole body thrummed with the dull ache of the Thorun.

"Do I look as bad as I feel?" His voice was gravelly as something caught in his throat and made him cough for a moment.

Archie perched himself at the other end of the bunk trying his best to look paternal in an effort to offer some form of comfort.

"Aye lad, you look pretty grim, but we all do. It's time for you to leave with Patrick."

Ianto nodded resigned to what lay ahead and still distracted by the oddness of his sleeping experiences.

"Any last requests?"

Ianto almost gagged. "Just make my death count for something."

Archie reached out and patted his leg. "You have my word."

Ianto hoped it was enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Patrick's face was serene when the bullet shattered his skull. Ianto had long since stopped being horrified at the sight of death and he just turned away as he was shoved into the belly of a helicopter by a UNIT guard. He was numb with the shock of the last four months of his life, the loss of everything and one man's death seemed irrelevant somehow. Nausea clawed at his gut as the aircraft rose above the clouds. He wasn't afraid anymore. He wasn't anything anymore. He swung his head round when he felt a sting in his thigh and seconds later he was slumped unconscious across the lap of the soldier to his left. The woman did her best to ignore him unable to reconcile her own betrayal of the world she had grown up on and wondering how her life had come to this. Two days ago she had watched the islands of Japan boil away into the sea and had been powerless to stop it. They were all powerless and it was just best to keep following orders, keep one's head down and hope to survive another day.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Ianto came to he knew the plan was over. Harold Saxon was smiling down at him like a fat cat, in his hand he held a tiny glass vial that glinted under the harsh artificial light. Ianto didn't pause to wonder where he was or long he'd been unconscious he just gazed up into those mischievous eyes and sighed with defeat.

"Honestly Ianto, you didn't really think you'd get away with it did you?"

Ianto could only shrug from his place on yet another bed, one more comfortable than the affair at Archie's camp. He wished he could sink into it and die.

"Someone told you."

Saxon's smile was radiant, would have been pleasant but for the circumstance. Ianto wasn't surprised when Yasim stepped into view. She looked down at him with something bordering on disdain before she turned to Saxon.

"Apparently he makes good coffee."

"Excellent!" Saxon clapped his hands together with glee. "I need a new coffee maker, you're hired!" He turned his head and Ianto then noticed a young black woman in a ridiculous maid's outfit.

"Tish, show him the ropes and keep him in order and under no circumstances is he to visit the Freak, are we clear?"

The woman was clearly terrified as she nodded hurriedly.

Saxon turned back to face him and Ianto was startled by the sudden look of compassion on the man's face.

"Poor Ianto Jones, don't worry I'll take you to see your beloved Jack soon." He stepped away and laughed, leaving Ianto with a deep foreboding and a crushing sense of failure.


	6. Chapter 6

**PART SIX.**

Ianto was frightened. It was ridiculous really because he had not been harmed in any way. Quite the opposite. Saxon had provided him with one of the executive suites, new suits, food and whatever else he wanted. All Ianto had to do was make his coffee and Lucy's tea. Ianto did just that, unwilling to question the situation because his fear had paralysed him completely. He had seen the Master's moods, how volatile and dangerous he could be. He watched as Tish and the Jones family trod on the proverbial eggshells at all times. Fear. The Valiant stank of it, the odour coming off virtually everyone on board. Ianto did not understand how they could all be so stupid and so controlled by it, but then the Master was clever like that.

Ianto kept the coffee coming learning to predict the times when Saxon would want his beverages and producing them magically as he had for Jack once before. It seemed like another life time away now. Occasionally he would talk to Tish, but there was nothing of consequence to discuss, careless talk cost lives. They had both seen. So Ianto flitted about the decks of the great ship in silence and did as he was bid accepting that in this world he was as inconsequential as he had ever been, a coffee boy with a pretty face.

One day in the boardroom he met a shrivelled man in a wheel chair and the Master introduced him to the Doctor. Ianto looked down at him with a mixture of pity and disdain. This man had stolen Jack away from them and the world had gone to hell, but Ianto knew deep down that this terrible nightmare was not the Doctor's doing. He gave the Doctor some tea and held the cup for him as the Master danced around the room celebrating the destruction of yet another city. Moscow this time. Destruction seemed to be the only thing that made him happy and Ianto pitied him and his empty life because once everything was destroyed there would be nothing left, except maybe........

Jack.

Somewhere on board this ship was the man he loved and hated in equal measure. Some days the emotions biased one way or the other depending on how Ianto felt when he rolled out of his luxurious empty bed. Sometimes it wasn't empty. Tish had taken to curling up beside him. They never touched and rarely spoke, she just settled herself at his side one night and Ianto let her do it. He couldn't bring himself to comfort her because he was devoid of anything useful that would help. A silent agreement had been reached. Ianto would lie on his back wondering where Jack was, trying to search him out with his thoughts, but a wall had been erected since arriving on board the Valiant and Ianto wondered if his connection to Jack had been something whimsical he imagined in his dreams. Sometimes he would think of his sister's family and he hoped that no stray dogs had dug up their shallow graves. He couldn't bear the thought of that. Other nights, sleep took him straight away and he slept in a haze of warm fuzziness that he did not like or understand. It was like being in a sensory deprivation tank for his brain. Archie had warned that the Master was powerful, that the archangel network was more than just a global communication system. Worldwide mind control, Ianto was stronger than most, but clearly not nearly strong enough.

Days slid by into weeks and Ianto lost track. He made coffee, he cleared the cups away and made more. He kept himself clean and impeccably dressed as the Master had obviously raided his old flat and brought most of his clothes on board the ship in preparation for his arrival. Ianto took comfort in the suits. They were his shield, his only protection.

Today he was frightened. The mood had shifted dramatically and Saxon was in a rage. Ianto had taken a couple of paces back to avoid the cups that were flung away from him as Saxon bellowed out his curses at one Martha Jones, who had eluded him again. Tish was at his side trembling uncontrollably but Ianto didn't look at her or offer up anything to help. He just stood rigid, trying to be invisible and he failed. Saxon's keen eyes narrowed their gaze on him and suddenly there was a manic smirk on the man's face. It was the worst kind and Ianto knew he was in for it. Saxon wiggled his fingers gesturing him forwards.

"Come along Ianto. You and I are going to visit the Freak."

Jack.

Ianto hitched a sharp shallow breath and stepped forwards, he knew not to refuse, couldn't refuse, even though he wanted to. Saxon gripped his arm and steered him across the expansive boardroom.

"It's been a while since you last saw him, after he ran out on you. I think you should get reacquainted. Jackie boy will be pleased to see you, no doubt. He doesn't get many visitors......."

Ianto stopped listening as the Master chuntered on. At least he had a choice in that, even if nothing else. He was ashamed that his will was so weak. Did Saxon really have that much control? Ianto doubted it, he'd just given up. It was easier, that way he wouldn't get hurt, would he?

Jack couldn't raise his head, but he knew, the moment the door had opened that Ianto was entering the room. He wasn't sure how he knew, he just did and his heart sank into the decking below his feet. He really wanted to lift his head, to see those oceanic eyes, to see some clarity, some life, but he was too exhausted, his muscles locked in place by weeks of being held up in this position. He listened to hesitant footfalls and the closing of the door. There was startled breathing and then a hand came into view and Jack instinctively shied away, there had been too much pain lately, hands were the worst. He heard a hiss and then felt warmth as fingers carded through his matted hair and Jack could not help the moan that escaped his cracked lips.

"Ianto?" It was barely audible.

"Oh, Jack."

Ianto was crying and all Jack wanted to do was to hold him and take away the tears. He wanted to look up and see those eyes filled with hope and laughter, not this grief that had followed the Welshman into the room.

"Jack...."

Jack shuddered and rocked against the chains that held him upright, the pain of that long since gone. There was a firm hold on his neck and heat soaking into his filthy skin as his head was gently guided up and there they were. Beautiful, soulful blue, glistening with tears that streaked down a pale thin face and in that moment Jack knew he loved this man more than anything else in the universe.

"Ianto." The word rolled away from him like a prayer as Ianto stepped closer, their cheeks coming into contact and the scent of coffee filled Jack's nostrils like an elixir. It had been so long since there had been any kindness toward him and Jack continued murmur that name over and over as Ianto carefully traced his face with his fingertips. Jack felt his own life spark up and he smiled against Ianto's smooth skin.

"Thank God, are you ok?"

Ianto could only nod in reply as his hands gently soothed across taught shoulders, reaching up along his arms as far as he could reach.

"Jack...... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. The others are gone, they died." Ianto whispered in his ear.

"I know. It's not your fault."

They looked into one another's eyes, longingly.

The moment was stolen from them when Saxon stepped back into the room with a UNIT soldier at his side.

There was nothing Jack could do as he watched helpless and furious as Ianto was beaten down to the metal floor. He heard bones crunch and break, the pounding of metal against flesh and Ianto never uttered a sound, he just crumpled into himself and took it. When the violence stopped, Saxon was smiling and Jack wanted to murder him.

"There you are Freak. If you want to avoid that happening again I suggest you give me all the access codes to that base of yours."

Jack just stared at him and realised there was nothing to lose anymore. The Earth was finished, the Master had won and he needed to keep Ianto safe. It was the only thing that mattered. He just couldn't do it. Ianto caught his gaze through swollen blood shot eyes and shook his head minutely and Jack understood.

"Sorry, no can do." He replied knowing full well he had just signed Ianto's death sentence.

Saxon seemed unconcerned. "Oh well. Get up Jones, I want coffee in the boardroom in ten minutes." He strolled away and left Jack wondering what the fuck he was playing at.

Ianto lurched painfully to his feet and was steered away by the man that had beaten him.


	7. Chapter 7

**PART SEVEN**

The door closed and Jack howled out his rage to the empty confines of his prison.

Ianto trudged along, Jack's cries resounding in his head as he limped down the corridor.

The uniformed guard at his left gently took his arm to hold him upright and drew him close.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I just had to, you must understand. I'm sorry. I'm a good man but he has my son. I'm sorry."

Ianto lowered his head. "We're all sorry." He wondered if it truly was the end of everything and he found himself envying his dead colleagues and his sister's rotting corpse.

Jack was broken, the Doctor was a crippled husk and the world was falling into the black. Ianto's heart broke just that little bit more when he silently concluded that the only one to survive all this misery would be Jack. Ianto's chest tightened with fury, he had to fight, he had to because he was certain that no one else could. The defiance lasted all of five seconds when he stepped into the kitchen and staggered about to make the coffee. It took every ounce of his strength to remain on his feet.

That night Tish soothed his hurts, bathed his wounds and bound his broken arm. Ianto said nothing as she worked. There was nothing to say he had given up and it remained a silent mantra, failure, defeat and loss.

He lay on his bed and cried and finally rose, pulling on some clothes he wondered about the ship like a ghost. No one stopped him because no one saw him as a threat and he was one of the Master's little pets to be summond on a whim. Ianto didn't much care where he went. His body and soul hurt beyond belief, he hadn't considered the fact that he could actually feel worse after Canary Wharf or after Liam and years of his Father's abuse. He padded silently along the corridors, conscious of the CCTV cameras that followed his path. He didn't care, it didn't matter. He wanted to go back to Jack and when he found himself outside the room where Jack was chained, two guards stopped him going any further with sneers of disgust. They raised their weapons.

"Fuck off, you queer bastard."

Ianto gazed longingly at the steel door forcing his will through the barrier in an effort to comfort the man contained there, but he felt nothing back and knew he still being blocked. With a sigh Ianto turned away. A few moments later he found himself standing in the boardroom. It was quiet and dark and he was startled by the voice that reached out to him.

"Ianto Jones?"

Ianto looked up and spotted a cage swinging and sucked in his shock he recognised what was held there. Ianto stepped forwards and looked into pitifull oversized eyes.

"Doctor."

They gazed at one another for a long time.

"Don't give up Ianto Jones, when all this is done Jack will need you. This is not the end."

Ianto wanted to believe him, the absolute certainty in his voice and the conviction of his words in his eyes.

"I wish I could believe you. Saxon wants the access codes to the Torchwood archive, if he gets it......"

The doctor sat himself down, making the cage swing gently as the weight inside it shifted.

"He already has the codes Ianto, what he did to you today was merely to torture Jack. It's a game to him, he hates what Jack is, his wrongness is naturally abhorrent to any Timelord. I tried to escape it, to escape him and I hurt him deeply, but the Master will try to break him. You have to be strong Ianto, you must survive this. If Jack loses you......."

Ianto closed his eyes against the tears the forced themselves under his eyelids. He angrily wiped the water away.

"Why is he doing this, why destroy everything?"

The Doctor had no answer to that. "I think he is mad, whatever it is that has driven him over the years has come to this. I don't know Ianto, but he is my responsibility, I have to deal with him."

Ianto didn't want to understand that.

"He's controlling us all. I feel so weak and diminished." He glanced over his shoulder and noticed that the CCTV camera had panned round to view him. Someone was watching this and Ianto found he did not care anymore.

"You have to be stronger than that Ianto. You need to clear your mind, focus on something good and hold on to it, no matter what."

Ianto's eyes went back to the floor. "Will we prevail?"

"Yes. Believe it, Ianto. Hold on for Jack."

"I love him."

"I know, he loves you to." The Doctor had heard, could feel it from Jack like a beacon and he tried his best to hide it from Saxon, it was the only thing he could do right now until Martha was ready. He watched as the young Welshman gazed hopelessly about the room again, the bruising on his face making look ghoulish in the dim light. He stretched out a tiny hand and touched his chin and Ianto felt a rush of warmth flood through him. Their eyes met as Ianto comprehended what he was feeling wasn't coming from the Doctor at all, but from Jack. Ianto did his best to send it back and the Doctor smiled at him.

The moment passed.

"You should go and get some rest."

Ianto nodded and offered up a faint smile. "Good night, Doctor."

"Good night Ianto."

When he returned to his room he found Tish curled up and asleep in his bed. Ianto pulled off his clothes and joined her, carefully easing her into a gentle embrace and stroking her head. She murmured in her sleep and clung to him unconsciously.

"It's ok. It's gonna be ok." He whispered until he too slipped into sleep.

Jack closed his eyes and sighed as he felt a calming cloak of warmth wrap around his soul. He felt the Doctor's shielding presence and then something brief and intense, like a flare in the darkness. Ianto. Jack smiled before drifting into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

**PART EIGHT (HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE)**

_Mam, the world has gone to hell. I know it was bad when Lisa died and everything just seemed so unbearable..... This is so bad Mam. Rhi and Johnnie and the kids are gone. They were murdered. I tried to bury them. I'm sorry Mam, I couldn't protect them and that's my job, saving the world and we all failed. I don't know what to do, none of us are strong enough to fight anymore. It's like my mind is made of mud. I wish I had the strength to fight it or the knowledge._

Ianto shoved the scraps of paper under the mattress as Tish came out of the bathroom in her maid's outfit. Ianto noted her obvious embarrassment at having to wear the demeaning costume so he offered up a faint smile.

"Thank you for patching me up yesterday. I hope he doesn't get angry with you for it."

It was quite possibly on the cards and Ianto couldn't stomach the thought of any one suffering because of him.

Tish smiled back. "It's ok. I couldn't leave you like that. How are you feeling?"

He hurt, he hurt all over. "I'm alright. The arm is going to ache for a bit."

"It's broken Ianto, you have to try to keep it set otherwise it will never heal."

He studied the splint she had used, part of one of the dining chairs in the room.

"This'll be fine, don't worry." He assured her in an effort to keep the mood lifted. Tish nodded.

"OK then."

They went to the kitchens as they usually did and Tish made the Master's breakfast, whilst Ianto prepared the coffee. Coffee was the only job he had and was probably the only reason he was still alive, well except..... Jack and Ianto shuddered as he prepared the drinks one handed. It was awkward, but he managed and then Tish took the tray away. Ianto hissed with pain, the moment she was gone from sight and began searching the kitchen for pain medication. The two guards by the door watch dispassionately for a while, one of them finally him a packet of nuerophen. Ianto could have kissed him.

"Thank you."

The guard nodded. "Don't mention it..... Ever." He then glared at his companion who nodded in agreement.

Ianto swallowed three of the tablets with a glass of water. "Mention what?" He added with a wince. His stomach lurched with the coldness of the water and Ianto feared that the beating had done more damage than he first realised.

"Can I see a medic?"

The two guards exchanged looks and decided that maybe he should. The Master would go mad if Ianto died on their watch.

Ianto was taken to Yasim in the Valiant's med bay and he reluctantly allowed her to check him over properly and reset his arm in a cast. Two hours later, he was making more coffee and planning how he would kill the traitorous young doctor. He wondered vaguely if Archie and the others were still alive and then wondered why it had taken him so long to even consider them. As he made more coffee he realised that his thoughts were clearer than they had been for days..... weeks? He could feel something akin to certainty and it was the strangest sensation after so long of being in a fog. Ianto decided not to dwell on it. He needed to keep his head down and listen out for what was happening out there in the world, and what was happening to Jack. He wondered if he'd get to see him again and realised that if he did..... well it wasn't likely to be pleasant for either of them.

Tish took more coffee away and Ianto sighed wondering who she was and how she came to be stuck here too. Her whole family were here and Ianto realised that part of him resented the fact that her family were alive when his were not. Then he remembered the name Martha Jones and suddenly everything fell into place. It made him realise just how subdued his mind had been.

His heart ached, he was desperate to see Jack and debated with himself how hard it would be to bribe one of the guards. Ianto immediately dismissed the notion; that would only lead to some one getting hurt, most likely himself or worse still, Jack.

Tish came back to the kitchen and made mashed swede and Ianto asked her why she was doing it once again and this time, for once she answered him.

"It's for Jack. It's the only thing the Master will let him eat....."

Ianto's heart sank, still further. Jack hated the stuff.

"Can you add something to it to make it better?"

Tish instantly shook her head, her eyes roving in the direction of the CCTV camera. Ianto followed her gaze with his own.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Tish smiled at him. "I can tell Jack you tried. He'd like that."

Ianto nodded. "Thank you."

She touched his good arm. "He talks about you a lot."

"I think about him all the time." He murmured, his head down.

"He knows you do."

Ianto was ordered to the board room and dragging himself away from Tish with a look of fear in her eyes he marched uncomfortably toward what lay ahead. Another beating, most likely.

"Ah... Ianto.... Ianto ...Ianto."

He was pulled into a friendly embrace and Ianto was rigid in the arms of the Master, his terror heightening. He could see the Doctor watching from the corner of the room and then to his horror he saw Jack, standing beside the swinging cage. Ianto was eased away and the younger man faced his lover with a sigh as he took in Jack's whole demeanour. Despite having been cleaned up and given fresh clothes Jack looked worn out and old. Ianto stared, noting the fire still within those oceanic eyes. They exchanged the faintest of smiles and the dread settled in Ianto's gut like a lead weight.

The Master was watching the distant exchange between them closely. He was grinning broadly.

"As a man who voted for me Ianto I feel it is only fair that you share in the glory of my party manifesto.... what was it, an England for all? A fair and free nation? Well you're all Xenophobes and homophobes and well I can't stand any of you hypocrites. So I am going to blow you all up!" He was looking happier by the moment and Jack moved from one foot to the other restlessly, unable to break the confines of his restraints. Ianto sagged.

"You have an opportunity here Ianto. I am going to let you choose which city will be destroyed next and when you have chosen, you can even push the button."

Ianto's gut tightened alarmingly.

"Wh.....what?"

"Join me in cleansing the world."

Ianto's head swayed with fear, he glanced from the Doctor who was gripping the cage bars, to Jack who looked about to burst from his chains. Ianto wished he could. He finally returned his gaze to Saxon who had stopped strutting and was now inspecting him intently. Their eyes met and Ianto had to look away from the madness there.

"And if I don't?"

"It wasn't a choice."

Ianto swallowed. "Then I am disobeying you. I am not going to do as you ask." He sounded far more defiant than he felt. A surge of warmth washed over him and Ianto quickly realised that he needed to shut it down before the Master sensed it.

Saxon stepped up to him and Ianto had to force himself not to move back.

"Uhmmm I see. You do have a choice.... well really what did you expect? That I would simply nod my head and say well that's fine Ianto.....I can have Jack disembowelled right here in this room in front of you all. Or you can do as I ask. Either way is fine by me because I get what I want in the end."

Ianto wondered what that really was and before he realised it he had opened his mouth.

"And what is it you want?" he whispered.

The Master narrowed his gaze and Ianto shrunk before it. "I want that freak to die..... and if I can't kill it I want it to suffer..... forever."

Ianto fixed his gaze on Jack, who was shaking his head. He stepped back from Saxon and walked to Jack unimpeded by the security guards who had stepped back at a gesture from their boss.

"Jack?"

The two men looked at each other and Ianto was wholly conscious of The Doctor and The Master watching their exchange.

"Will he do it? Will he hurt you if I refuse?"

Jack nodded and sucked in a steadying breath. "I can take it Ianto. I can. I will come back, good as. You know that."

Ianto touched his cheek. "But you'll remember it, how he.... the pain Jack. I can't let him do that to you."

"Yes you can, you must. I know you Ianto, you'll have all those lives on your conscience if you do as he asks."

"He's going to kill them anyway isn't he?"

Jack nodded. "Probably, but you don't have to do it for him."

Ianto's gaze went to the floor for a moment and then he sighed. "Don't think badly of me Jack. I just couldn't stand to think of him hurting you."

Jack reached up his shackled hands and lifted Ianto's chin. "Whatever happens the hurt will remain. I forgive you because this is not your fault. Please Ianto, don't do what he wants you to do. I need you to do this for me, don't sacrifice who you are to him. Please."

Jack kissed his forehead and then Ianto was yanked away and dragged back to stand in front of Saxon. Ianto's gaze remained firmly fixed on Jack as he spoke.

"I won't do as you ask." He smiled tasting his own tears. "I'm sorry Jack."

**AN: You'll have to wait til the next chapter to find out which way this one will go.....only because I haven't decided yet!**


	9. Chapter 9

**PART NINE**

All Ianto could think of was the charnel house back in the Brecon Beacons as he watched with morbid horror as Jack was quite literally gutted in front of him. Saxon had taken a pace back to take in the vista of Ianto's torment and Jack's agonising murder, he then ordered for the city of Chicago to be targeted and destroyed. Ianto didn't feel the slight sway as the Valiant changed course, heading for the States. He just stood there so shocked that his body had frozen to the spot, his face grey and sheened with sweat, his mind shut down.

The Doctor watched from his cage with concern as he gently prodded the Welshman's mind to illicit some form of response.

Blood had blossomed across the floor and the two guards who had done the deed stood back wiping their boots against the thick rug behind. The blood flowed across polished floorboards and stopped at Ianto's feet. Ianto was still looking at Jack now crumpled on to the floor, still shackled. Something in him stirred. He would never recall what it was that made him move, but he suddenly surged forwards, sliping over on the slick surface of the floor and coming to rest at Jack's side. He hauled Jack's body into a one armed embrace and cradled him against himself as he carefully picked up warm entrails and eased them back in through the gaping holes in Jack's body. Ianto sobbed as he worked wishing he'd given the order to burn the entire world in preference to this. He tried to sing through his tears caressing Jack's white face with his bloodied hands. Saxon had lost interest and the Doctor looked on in something akin to fascination as Ianto held Jack's stomach together and Jack healed. Consciousness broke through before the mending had completed and Jack howled in agony in Ianto's arms as the younger man did his best to hold on to him and calm him. Eventually Jack stilled against him. Both men were crying and the Doctor looked up as the Master left the room with a smile on his face. The two guards had taken a few steps back, still cleaning off their footwear on the upholstery. They were sniggering and the Doctor watched as something in Ianto snapped.

The young Welshman gently set Jack down to the floor and kissed his cheek and then got to his feet. Jack tried to pull him back down and failed. He was too weak and could only watch what happened next. Ianto leapt forwards grabbed a gun from the holster at the guard's hip and fired the weapon point blank into the man's face. The second shot at the second guard came at the same instant as a third shot. The two guards lay dead at Ianto's feet, a smoking gun in his hand and blood seeping down his front. It took a moment for Ianto to register the fact he had been shot himself. His hand went to his side and came away red. He gaped at it, the gun slipping from the grasp of his good hand. His gaze met Jack's and then he crumpled into blackness.

That was the last time Jack saw Ianto before time reset itself. The immortal had frantically searched the Valiant looking for his lover after the paradox machine had been destroyed. He left a broken man and the Doctor took him back to Cardiff in the hopes of healing him. One thing the Doctor had learned, Jack needed to be with Ianto if he was ever to recover from the ordeal of that year, he could only hope that Ianto had survived and forgotten.

When Ianto regained consciousness a scream of fear was torn from him that had the UNIT medical staff running to his side. The young man had been found in a morgue draw on board The Valiant and as with everyone else who had been on board, he was disturbed and damaged in ways no one could understand. It was some time before anyone had been able to identify him and two weeks later he discharged himself and almost ran all the way back to Cardiff from Berkshire.

Ianto was confused and frightened beyond measure. He could not understand how the world had righted itself and he had rang his sister and half frightened the life out of her when he realised he must have sounded like a deranged mad man. He remembered everyone dying. He remembered Yasim hiding him in a morgue draw and her lying to the Master and pretending he was dead. Ianto wondered how she had managed it. But now the Master...... Saxon was dead, killed by his own wife in a fit of madness. The world was whole and no one had invaded and turned the planet into a giant munitions factory. Ianto broke into his own flat and locked himself inside in terror. He paced, he shouted, he swore. He wondered where the hell Jack was and what had happened to Torchwood and when the hell was he? Eight days and two bottles of gin later he finally took a shower, shaved and donned his suit. He sat and listened to the news, a new general election, a new world and ....... he had to get back to work and try to find out what had happened. Why hadn't the others called him?

Why hadn't the others called him?

Ianto ran to his bathroom to double check his face. He looked thinner, older, tired and his hair was longer...... a years' worth of growth longer.....

He hadn't dreamed the madness then.

He vomited into the bathroom sink and almost passed out from the pain. The enormity of it was too much. With shaking hands Ianto pulled his clothes back off he studied his body carefully. New scars, a bullet wound to his side, knife cuts to the other, a slight deformed dent in his arm, which ached dully. His ribs were more prominent, his skin grey. How can this be?

Jack.

He had seen Jack, held him as he came to life with half his guts on the floor.

Ianto squeezed his eyes shut and the water flowed anyway. He heaved and grabbed at his hair and yanked on it trying to blind himself to the memory with pain.

It didn't work.

Later he stood at the mirror in his bathroom with a pair of scissors and hacked off his hair as best as he could. Another shower, more clothes and hair gel and no one would know would the difference.

Ianto walked to the Hub from his flat. It was a beautiful day. People were out and about, the postman, the neighbour's kids on their way to school and the usual throng of early morning bodies on their way to their offices and shops. The normality was unnerving and bordering on unnatural. Ianto was a gibbering wreck by the time he reached the tourist office on Mermaid Quay.

He found his mobile phone, right where he had left it all that time ago, on Jack's desk. There was a message from Owen.

"Nepal was a waste of time.... pick us up from RAF Lyneham will ya?"

Ianto arched his eyebrows..... Nepal..... such a long time ago and by God they were alive. The relief made him tearful all over again. He smiled stupidly and then realised that Owen had sent the text the day before.... shit! He hit Gwen on his speed dial and nearly jumped for joy when she answered her phone.

**AN: SEASON TWO NEXT UP..... OK THIS MAY NOT BE SO PRETTY EITHER.....**


End file.
